


A Stormy Day

by Vandera



Category: Warcraft - All Media Types
Genre: Anger, Dreams, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Past Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-04-25
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:08:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23841277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vandera/pseuds/Vandera
Summary: A past relationship haunts Vol’jin’s current relationship.
Relationships: Tyrathan Khort/Vol'jin, Vol’jin/Zalazane implied past
Comments: 2
Kudos: 21





	A Stormy Day

Tyrathan Khort smiled as he rolled over in bed to lie on his side. It was after dawn, but it was still dark. A storm was churning just off the coast of Kalimdor, but it was just close enough for Orgrimmar to be covered in dark clouds. It was almost time to get up, but Tyrathan could not bring himself to wake Vol’jin up just yet. Vol’jin was talking in his sleep again. 

Vol’jin had the biggest grin on his face as he slept. He looked adorable, although Tyrathan knew that whenever he said that out loud to Vol’jin, the troll would blush and argue that trolls were fierce, not adorable. Vol’jin kept muttering in Zandali, but most of it was too low for Tyrathan to understand. Whatever he was dreaming, Vol’jin was enjoying himself. 

“Oh, yes,” mumbled Vol’jin. “Ya be so beautiful, my Love.”

Tyrathan smirked. Now, he had an idea of what Vol’jin was dreaming, and it warmed his heart. Listening to Vol’jin dream about him was entertaining. Of course, Vol’jin said those same things to Tyrathan while he was awake, but it was nice to know that Vol’jin also thought about Tyrathan in his sleep, that he felt the same way when he was asleep. It also sounded like things were getting hot and steamy.

“Ya be perfect,” sighed Vol’jin in his sleep.

Still smiling, Tyrathan sat up and leaned closer to Vol’jin, intending to kiss his mate on the cheek. It was how he woke Vol’jin up every morning. As much as Tyrathan hated to wake Vol’jin up while he was having such a good dream, it was almost time for breakfast. However, it was still early enough that maybe they would have some time to make Vol’jin’s dreams a reality.

Tyrathan was about to kiss Vol’jin when Vol’jin rolled over and said, “I love ya, Zalazane.”

Tyrathan froze. What?! Who?! Tyrathan had never heard that name before, but it was a troll name.

“Zalazane, oh Zalazane,” muttered Vol’jin.

In shock, Tyrathan slowly slid out of bed, being careful not to wake Vol’jin. He was feeling a sudden rush of emotions and was having a hard time processing them all at once. Confusion, anger, sadness, pain, betrayal, jealousy, loss, fear. Tyrathan felt like his body was on autopilot as he silently crossed the room and slipped out of the bedroom.

Tyrathan took a deep breath. Who was Vol’jin dreaming about? Why was Vol’jin dreaming about this person? What was this person to Vol’jin? Flashbacks to his ex-wife’s infidelity flashed through Tyrathan’s mind. Was that what was happening now? Vol’jin did spend a lot of late nights working. Was he seeing someone behind Tyrathan’s back? How long had this been going on?

There was a light knock on the door that startled Tyrathan out of his thoughts. Tyrathan opened the door and two trolls, who worked in the kitchen, a mother and son, brought in breakfast for Tyrathan and Vol’jin.

“Thank you,” said Tyrathan as the trolls placed breakfast on the table. “Can I ask you something?”

“Aye, anytime,” smiled the mother, Xodi.

“Do you know who Zalazane is?” Tyrathan asked.

Her son, Tulko, gasped and accidentally knocked over Vol’jin’s cup of coffee. The smile immediately dropped off Xodi’s face as she helped Tulko clean up the mess. Neither one of them would look at Tyrathan.

“It not be our place to tell ya. Speak with da Warchief,” said Xodi as she ushered her son towards the door, and the two of them left.

Frowning, Tyrathan went to the bedroom to finally wake Vol’jin up for breakfast. He paused in the doorway and glared at Vol’jin. 

Vol’jin was cuddling his pillow. “Zalazane, ya know I love ya,” he muttered in his sleep.

Okay, Tyrathan had heard enough, and he felt his heart break. He turned and stalked over to the breakfast table and picked up the pitcher of ice water. He then walked back into the bedroom, over to the bed, and dumped the entire pitcher over Vol’jin’s head. Maybe that would cool the troll’s hot dreams down.

Vol’jin bolted up into a sitting position. He blinked and wiped some of the water off his face. “What in da name of da Loa?!” Vol’jin yelled.

“Morning,” said Tyrathan coldly as he turned on his heel and walked away. “Breakfast is on the table.”

“Tyra...” began Vol’jin, but Tyrathan slammed the bedroom door behind him.  
——————————————————————————————————————————  
Vol’jin had no idea what was wrong with Tyrathan. After that rude awakening this morning, Tyrathan had stormed out, without eating breakfast, and had not returned. Vol’jin had searched the entire Hold for the hunter, but quickly learned from some of the guards that Tyrathan had left, heading in the direction of the archery range. 

Vol’jin had debated about whether or not he should follow his mate, but decided against it. Tyrathan used shooting as a way of working through his emotions, whatever they were. Vol’jin figured that it would be best to let Tyrathan do that first before trying to discuss what had happened this morning, especially since Vol’jin had no idea what had led to Tyrathan’s behavior. 

“What’s wrong, Vol’jin?” Go’el asked when he arrived for a visit. “You don’t look happy.”

“I think Tyrathan be upset with me,” sighed Vol’jin.

“Why? What did he say?” Go’el asked.

“Nothin’. He just be givin’ me little signs dat he be angry,” explained Vol’jin.

“Like what?” Go’el asked.

“Well, he usually wake me up every mornin’ with a kiss on da cheek. However, dis mornin’ he woke me up by pouring a pitcher of ice water over my head,” said Vol’jin. “And den he stormed out without eatin’ breakfast.”

“He’s either really brave or really stupid,” snorted Saurfang.

“Da two not be mutually exclusive,” chuckled Rokhan.

“He not be stupid!” Vol’jin growled at the two them. “He be upset, and I don’t know why.”

“Did anything happen?” Go’el asked.

“It be too early for somethin’ to happen dis morning. I be asleep. I don’t see how I can do somethin’ to make him angry when I be asleep,” argued Vol’jin.

“What about yesterday, or last night?” Go’el asked.

“No,” said Vol’jin as he shook his head. “Nothin’ happened out of da ordinary. He didn’t mention anythin’ upsettin’ him. He was in a good mood.”

“I’m sure that whatever is bothering him; he will eventually tell you. He usually does,” said Go’el.

“Aye, dat be true,” agreed Vol’jin. “I just don’t like it when he be upset. I want him to be happy.”

“You really do love him, don’t you?” Go’el asked with a smile.

“Aye,” smiled Vol’jin. “I love him, more dan anythin’.”

A noise behind Vol’jin made him turn around. Tyrathan stood in the doorway of the throne room, glaring at Vol’jin. He still looked angry, but there was also a hurt look in his eyes. Wait, were those tears in Tyrathan’s eyes? 

Tyrathan turned around and stalked out of the room.

“I better go talk to him,” said Vol’jin. Now, he was really worried about his mate.  
——————————————————————————————————————————  
Tyrathan had been so upset this morning that he had stormed out of Grommash Hold without eating breakfast. After listening to Vol’jin, Tyrathan had lost his appetite. He went to the archery range and took his frustrations out on the targets there. 

Dark clouds still hung low over the city, and it looked like Orgrimmar might actually get some rain. The wind was starting to pick up too. By the time trainees began arriving at the archery range for their lessons from their trainers, Tyrathan had exhausted most of his anger and his mind felt clearer.

Tyrathan decided that the best course of action would be to find out as much as he could about his rival for Vol’jin’s affections. Clearly, the Darkspears knew about this Zalazane, whoever he was. Chances were that Zalazane was probably one of them.

Tyrathan strolled through the Valley of Spirits. Many of the trolls there greeted him, and Tyrathan knew most of them. He tried to ask the trolls that he was friendly with about this Zalazane. The reactions he received did not make him feel better.

The trolls would freeze and stare at Tyrathan in shock. They would then glance at each other with knowing or concerned looks. Most of them made some excuse not to talk to Tyrathan.

“I...I can’t talk right know. I...I promised my mate dat I would...I would clean da crawl space under da hut,” claimed a Darkspear hunter as he ran off.

“Ya should speak with da Warchief,” instructed a headhunter before continuing her rounds.

“I need to go...go to...da dentist and get a dead fang pulled,” mumbled another troll as she backed away.

“I need to make sure da raptor pen is closed before the storm gets here,” explained a raptor trainer as he fiddled with an already locked gate.

It was obvious to Tyrathan that he was not going to get any useful information out of the Darkspears, but it did confirm his suspicions. He headed back towards Grommash Hold. Maybe he did need to talk to Vol’jin, but he dreaded it. He was not looking forward to officially learning that Vol’jin was cheating on him. This was a repeat of what had happened with his ex-wife. By the time he reached Grommash Hold, raindrops were starting to fall.

When Tyrathan entered Grommash Hold, he heard voices coming from the throne room. Vol’jin was probably in there. Tyrathan approached the throne room and paused in the doorway.

“Aye,” said Vol’jin to Go’el. “I love him, more dan anythin’.”

Tyrathan felt like someone had just punched him in the gut. He could not breathe. It was too painful, despite Tyrathan’s attempts to mentally prepare himself for this. Vol’jin must have been talking to Go’el about Zalazane. It made sense, given what had happened this morning. Tears started to prick Tyrathan’s eyes, and he sniffed.

The noise attracted Vol’jin’s attention and he turned around. Surprise showed on Vol’jin’s face. He must not have been expecting Tyrathan to show up here and now. Tyrathan walked out of the throne room.  
———————————————————————————————————————————  
“Tyrathan, what be wrong?” Vol’jin asked as he walked into their private rooms. He stopped in his tracks when he saw Tyrathan shoving clothes into a bag. What was going on? Was Tyrathan leaving? Why?

“Don’t worry,” said Tyrathan coldly. “I’ll soon be out of your hair.”

“Tyrathan, please talk to me. I don’t understand what be goin’ on with ya,” pleaded Vol’jin. He did not want Tyrathan to leave, and did not understand why he would be doing so. None of this was making any sense.

“I’m leaving so you can be with your precious Zalazane. I know when I’m not wanted,” yelled Tyrathan as he turned around to face Vol’jin. Tears were sliding down the human’s cheeks.

Lightening flashed and thunder rumbled outside. Vol’jin just stared at Tyrathan, dumbstruck. What was Tyrathan talking about? Why was he crying?

“How do ya know about Zalazane?” Vol’jin asked when he finally found his voice. After Zalazane’s defeat, no one ever mentioned him. He had betrayed them and did not deserve the dignity of having his name spoken.

“You told me. You were talking in your sleep this morning, having a very hot and heavy dream about him,” complained Tyrathan, his voice cracking.

Did he? Oh, right. Vol’jin had been so concerned by Tyrathan’s behavior this morning that he had forgotten about that dream he had been having. It had just been an old memory turned into a dream, nothing more. Vol’jin tended to push those memories to the back of his mind anyway. Yet, Vol’jin could see how it would upset Tyrathan, especially if he did not know the whole story.

“Tyrathan, dat just be a dream,” explained Vol’jin. He wondered just how much Tyrathan had heard and how much he knew about Zalazane.

“Then explain why everyone I asked about Zalazane refused to tell me anything. But I could tell that they knew something,” said Tyrathan.

“Dey didn’t tell ya anything?” Vol’jin asked.

“Yes, you’ll be happy to know that your loyal bastards keep your secrets. I’m sure that they’ve had a good time snickering behind my back. The dumb human who doesn’t realize that his so-called mate is sleeping with someone else. I don’t like being made a laughingstock,” ranted Tyrathan. “I’ve been down this road before.”

“Tyrathan, we need to talk. Now. I need to explain some things to ya,” said Vol’jin. 

“Why should I listen?” Tyrathan snapped as he crossed his arms and glared at Vol’jin.

“Please, Tyrathan, please let me explain,” pleaded Vol’jin.

“Fine, start talking,” ordered Tyrathan.

“First, I not be cheatin’ on ya. I would never do dat to ya. I would never hurt ya like dat,” explained Vol’jin. “Zalazane is dead. He been dead for years.”

“I didn’t know. I’m sorry. Losing your mate must have been hard for you,” said Tyrathan quietly. 

“Zalazane was never my mate,” clarified Vol’jin.

“I heard what you were saying this morning,” said Tyrathan. “If he wasn’t your mate, then who was he?”

“We grew up together, and we were friends. Yes, when we were young, we had a relationship, but we never got serious enough to become mates. I was in love with Zalazane, but he didn’t feel da same about me. He tried to manipulate my feelings, and den Zalazane betrayed me and da rest of da Darkspears. While he was telling me lies about lovin’ me, he was plottin’ against me. He caused the deaths of many members of the tribe. I had no choice but to kill him,” said Vol’jin.

“Do you still have feelings for him?” Tyrathan asked.

“No, his actions killed those feelings,” said Vol’jin.

“That’s not the way it sounded this morning,” argued Tyrathan. “It sounded as if you wished he was here instead of me.”

“It was just a dream, based off some almost forgotten memory. It don’t mean anything. Tyrathan, ya be my mate. Ya be da one I want to be with. Ya be da one dat I love,” insisted Vol’jin.

Tyrathan stared down at his feet. Vol’jin could tell that the hunter was thinking hard. Tyrathan then looked back up at Vol’jin. “Is the reason that you chose me to be your mate is because you didn’t want to risk being betrayed by another troll?”

“No,” said Vol’jin as he shook his head. “It don’t matter if ya be a troll or not, I love ya for ya. Please believe me.”

Tyrathan sighed and then smiled sadly, “I believe you. I probably should have asked you instead of assuming the worst. I’m sorry about dumping water on you. It was just painful to hear you talking that way about someone else.”

“I can imagine. I be sorry dat ya heard what ya did, and I be sorry dat ya spent da whole day feelin’ hurt by dis. I should have told ya about Zalazane before now. I just never imagined dat ya would even hear his name. Da Darkspears never speak about him,” said Vol’jin. 

“It’s okay. I can understand you not wanting to talk about it. So are there anymore former lovers of yours that you may have dreams about?” Tyrathan asked. “I don’t want anymore surprises.”

“No,” said Vol’jin as he shook his head. “Although dere was one morning when I woke up after a night of drinkin’ and Chen was passed out with his head in my lap. I don’t think anythin’ happened.”

“If it did, I don’t want to hear about it,” said Tyrathan.

“Ya and me both,” laughed Vol’jin as he pulled Tyrathan into a hug. “So, ya be okay?”

“I’m okay,” said Tyrathan as he wrapped his arms around Vol’jin and rested his head on Vol’jin’s shoulder. “Can we have an early supper? I’m starving.”

“Aye,” agreed Vol’jin as he rubbed Tyrathan’s back. “We can eat supper and watch da rain.”

“That sounds nice,” smiled Tyrathan. “Just so you know, the next time you say someone else’s name in your sleep like that, I’m dumping your entire breakfast on top of you.”

“Dat be fair,” chuckled Vol’jin.


End file.
